Biological Studies of a Histiogaster Mite (Acarina: Acaridae) Associated with Pine Reproduction Weevils12

Abstract

Of more than 40 species of wood-boring beetles checked, only the weevils Hylobius pales (Herbst) and Pachylobius picivorus (Germar) were found to have the mite Histiogaster anops Griffiths associated with them. The mite appears to be a normal inhabitant of the larval tunnels of the weevils, and apparently the adult weevils provide its only means of dispersal. The hypopus, the only stage found on the adult weevil, attaches to the weevil before it cuts through the bark to escape from its pupal chamber. The mites are easily reared with pine phloem or dry yeast as a food source. The feeding stages were consistently attracted more strongly to fresh as opposed to aged pine phloem, but were even more strongly attracted to fresh oak or catalpa phloems. Rearing experiments were successful only on oak and pine phloems. The mite requires an average of 9.6 ± 0.36 days from egg to adult when the hypopial stage does not occur. Average egg production was 101.5 eggs per female; one female produced 317 eggs in 17 egg-laying days. No parthenogenetic reproduction was observed.